


Siblings of China

by SonnyGoten



Series: A Chinese History [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Asian Character(s), Asian Family, Asian nations as family, Broken Families, China, Colonialism, Colonies as children, Gen, Historical Hetalia, Historical References, Hong Kong is too much for England to handle, Hong Kong's firecrackers (Hetalia), Innocent Taiwan (Hetalia), Mentioned China (Hetalia), Opium Wars, Poor Macau (Hetalia), Portugal (Hetalia) is a good dad, Tsundere England (Hetalia), manipulative Japan (Hetalia), sino-japanese wars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 18:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8411392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonnyGoten/pseuds/SonnyGoten
Summary: When Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are taken away to live lives as colonies, they learn to see China as their brother.





	1. How China became Macau's brother

**Author's Note:**

> These chapters are extras. To understand them better, I recommend reading [Children of China](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8410690/chapters/19272406) first.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Portugal and Macau play baccarat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1.) The pack of cards as a gift refers to the fact that Macau will later on become the biggest gamble city in the world. Macau is now seven times bigger than Las Vegas.
> 
> 2.) I changed gēgē to gògō. Gēgē (pinyin) is mandarin for brother, but the cantonese say gògō (Yale romanization).

In the days that they had been apart, the three child colonies began to miss their mother.

Portugal was the first to notice Macau's despondency, and sought to rectify this. He bought many toys for the child to cheer him up, but these lay scattered around the house, barely touched.

Portugal sighed. Of course the toys would not make Macau happy; no toy could replace a mother. He held up his latest gift and looked at it: a pack of cards. He knew it wouldn't help replace China, but he still had to try.

"Macau?" he called out.

The child nation looked up from his calligraphy and adjusted his new pair of glasses. "What is it, _bàbā_?"

"I bought you a pack of cards. Do you want to play?"

"Hmm... can we play baccarat?"

"Of course," Portugal replied. He sat down across form his child, took out the cards from its package and began to shuffle them. "Do you know how to play it?"

Macau shook his head. "No, but it seemed fun when I saw you play with your friends."

"I'll teach you," Portugal replied, and began dealing the cards.

It turned out that Macau was a very gifted player. After only two games, he had gotten the hang of the game, and was already winning the third.

"It's beginners luck," Portugal grumbled, "you've just been dealt a good hand."

He peered over his cards to gauge the child's reaction, but could discern nothing that may betray which cards Macau was holding onto. Macau's expression was still one of heartbreaking longing and sadness.

"Do you... like the game?" Portugal carefully ventured.

"I do," Macau muttered.

"But you don't look happy," Portugal pointed out.

"I..." Macau hesitated for only a moment, before confessing, "I miss _māmā_."

Portugal sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We both know that China is incapable of caring for you."

"But I -"

"I understand that you love him," Portugal interrupted. "I do, because I loved him too once. But you have to accept that China can no longer be your mother."

The child colony was quiet. But Portugal could see the small trembles shaking Macau's shoulders, and when the glasses came off and small hands roughly began wiping away at misty eyes, Portugal relented.

"If it hurts too much... then think of him as your brother."

_"Gògō?"_

"Yes. China is no longer suitable to be your parent, but as your brother, he will still be your family."

Macau lowered his hands, and looked at Portugal. Portugal did not know what went on in the boy's head, for his poker face was nothing short of perfection, but when the child colony spoke, voice calm and composed despite the tears still present in his eyes, there could be no doubt about the meaning behind his words.

"I really miss _gògō_ , Mr. Portugal."

Macau loved China and he loved Portugal. But China could no longer be Macau's mother. And because Portugal had denied China the right to parenthood, so too had Portugal lost his right to be Macau's father. Macau would never favor one over the other.

Portugal reached out and patted the boy on his head.

China and him... they had both lost their child.


	2. Taiwan's two brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Japan teaches Taiwan a few things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1.) Japan cutting China in the back with a katana is part of the manga, but was not shown in the anime when they dealt with their past in episode 16.
> 
> 2.) Japan talking about uniting and leading Asia refers to the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (GEACPS). Japan insisting that Taiwan refer to him as 'nii-san' using Japanese language refers to the reason the GEACPS failed; that is, Japan saw everything through the Japanese perspective and thought only of Japan's interests.
> 
> 3.) Japan flat out denied that China was his elder brother in the manga, but in the anime he just did not confirm it when asked; so in this story, he only calls China nii-san in front of Taiwan and no one else.
> 
> 4.) Apparently, Taiwan calls China 'sensei' in one of the drama or song CDs (I'm not sure which it is), so that's where their relationship builds to as well in this story. Same goes to Hong Kong.

Japan stared at the little girl, who cowered in the corner of his house and hiccuped softly. He sighed, returning his attention to cleaning his katana-sword, and grimacing. Why was it that the blood still clung to his sword no matter how many times he wiped the blade?

"Stop crying," he snapped at the girl.

The hiccups stopped, but the tears kept pouring.

Japan turned his katana this way and that. He hadn't intended to hurt China out of malice. He really hadn't. But the older nation was standing in the way of Japan's progression, of Asia's progression, and of the world's progression.

The blood pouring from China's wound when his katana cut into the older nation's back was etched into his memory.

It wasn't betrayal. It was necessary.

Or so he kept convincing himself.

China was of the past. He was stuck in the past. He didn't deserve the position as big brother of the Asian world. Poor bumbling and kind China was too incompetent to be their big brother.

It was time for a new big brother to rise up: Japan.

Japan was a much better leader for the Asian world. The Asian nations would follow Japan and together they would dominate the world stage, and never let those European countries bully them again. They would do this how it was done best: the Japanese way.

Japan glanced into Taiwan's direction again. It was soft, barely audible, but he still heard the girl crying out to her mother. That wouldn't do. The bond between child and parent ran deep, and Taiwan would never follow Japan, would never recognize him as a leader, if she kept longing for her mother.

It would have to be rectified. Somehow, he would have to cut through the bond between parent and child.

Japan looked to his katana. He was an expert swordsman, he knew how best to attack an opponent. The deeper the cut, the more damage he would make. But he could not attack Taiwan upfront, she would know his motives and deflect them. He had to destroy her from the shadows, the same way he had destroyed China.

Japan put the katana away. Slowly he stood up and walked over to the little girl. He bent down until he was standing at eye level with Taiwan. "Do you miss your brothers, _imouto_?"

 _"I-imouto?"_ Taiwan stuttered.

"It means 'little sister'," Japan clarified, "because you are my little sister." He repeated, "Do you miss your brothers?"

Taiwan nodded vigorously. "I miss Macau- _gēge_ ; I miss Hong Kong- _dìdi_ ; and I miss _māma_."

"You mean China _nii-san_?"

_"Nii-san?"_

"It means 'big brother'," Japan explained. He suppressed the bile from rising in his throat; this was his first time ever to explicitly acknowledge familial ties with the old nation and he didn't like it. "You are my little sister, so I am your _nii-san_ ; and China, he is _nii-san_ to all of us."

Wiping away the tears, Taiwan then scratched her head in confusion. " _Māma_  is _nii-san_? He is my big brother?"

Japan nodded. "Yes, he is your older brother."

"If _māma_  is big brother, then _māma_  is _gēge_." Taiwan nodded in satisfaction, for in her naive and child-like mind she believed she had solved the riddle presented to her. She was too young to understand the implications of her words, too young to realize Japan's true intentions.

Japan smiled. "China _nii-san_ is too busy to care for you; you know how dangerous it has become in your homeland. That's why he entrusted you to me, why you're living here now. I will care for you, because I too am your big brother."

Taiwan nodded slowly, believing Japan like any trusting child. "Okay, _gēge_."

"Here in my house, it's not _gēge_ , it's _nii-san_. You can call me Japan _nii-san._ "

Taiwan nodded again. "Japan _nii-san_."

Japan petted Taiwan's head affectionately.

For now, he would downgrade China to be her brother, but soon he would pull the old nation even further away from Taiwan's heart by insisting that she refer to China with the formal _sensei_ , a teacher. Slowly, but surely, he would destroy any affection which Taiwan may have held for China.

Slowly, he would make her love Japan instead...


	3. How China became Hong Kong's brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> England tries very hard to be a good parent, but Hong Kong's free spirited nature makes things a bit more difficult...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1.) Hong Kong says gogo (Yale romanization) and jeje (Yale romanization, because gege and jiejie are Mandarin (pinyin), but Hong Kong's main language is Cantonese.
> 
> 2.) The mangaka, Himaruya Hidekazu, had said that England cursed Hong Kong's eyebrows upon return to China, but I don't think that has been explicitly depicted in the manga before. I wrote this chapter with the aim to give an alternative explanation to the 'curse' that is not necessarily contradictory to Himaruya's canon.

It became obvious that Hong Kong would be difficult to raise for England.

The child was clearly disobedient; for, during their flight back to the Brit's homeland, the colony had put firecrackers in ever corner of the jet. Luckily, they'd been found by England before Hong Kong could have detonated them; had England been one step later, it would have turned into a disaster. But Hong Kong hadn't given up yet, and England's mansion was fair game as well...

Hong Kong had been in his new home for all but six days, and already England had had to threaten him twice with dark magic and curses.

"Blimey, Hong Kong, I said no firecrackers in my house!"

"But _māmā_ always let me." The child colony stuck out his tongue.

"Well, you're not with China now, you're with your daddy!"

Hong Kong giggled. "You're not my daddy, silly England!" he cried, and laughed at what he thought was a great joke from England.

Hong kong's innocent denial struck something cold inside the older nation. "W-what do you mean?" stuttered England. "How am I not your daddy?"

Hong Kong chuckled. "Because," he explained as if it were all obvious, "you don't look like me. _Māmā_ looks like me. Macau- _gògō_ and Taiwan- _jèjē_ look like me. We all have, like, black hair and brown eyes in my family, but you don't, so you can't be my daddy."

"B-but!"

England did not like what Hong Kong said one bit. This was his child too. England had the right to be his father, and yet, apparently, China had never deigned it important enough to mention even his existence to the child. Fair enough, he and China had not been on speaking terms after the Opium Wars, but that did not mean China had the right to withhold information about him from their child. Even if the child had been the result of... less than pleasant circumstances. But, bloody hell, Hong Kong deserved to know who his father was!

"Hong Kong," said England, "you're wrong, my little crown. There is something about you that looks a great deal like me."

The boy blinked at him. "What?" he asked, and curiously cocked his head to the side.

England reached out, tapped one brow, and then the other. "Your bushy eyebrows. Don't you think they look like mine?"

Hong Kong wiggled his eyebrows; then, slowly, he reached up and touched them; and when he realized that England was right, his eyes widened comically and he cried out in surprise. "Ah!" He blinked and traced his fingers over his brows a few more times, almost fascinated by the discovery. When he lowered his hands back to his side, however, the look in his eyes was one of suspicion. "England," he said, "did you, like, curse my eyebrows?"

"W-what?!"

"You're sly, England!"

England could only stare with perplexity at his child. There was no way he could understand what went on in that boy's head! "I-I didn't," he sputtered, "d-damn it, I didn't curse your eyebrows, that's bollocks!"

"Yes, you did!"

Hong Kong nodded to himself, utterly convinced of his own theory; and England sighed in defeat. Slapping his hand over his eyes, he asked himself what he'd done wrong to get such an unreasonable child, but then shook his head to rid himself of these feelings of defeatism. There had to be a way to make Hong Kong understand.

"Look, my little crown, if I'm not your daddy, then how did China become pregnant with you, huh? How was baby Hong Kong born?"

Hong Kong scratched his head a little. "Hmm..." he muttered. "Well, to make babies, you need, like, a mommy and a daddy, and the baby grows inside the girl's tummy. So..." Hong Kong's eyes widened as another epiphany hit him. "So only girls can become mommies, but _māmā_ is a boy!"

England twitched. Bloody hell, where did that child get his ideas from? This was absolutely _not_ going as planned.

Hong Kong nodded again, the puzzle inside his mind solving itself. "I get it now, _māmā_ is not my mommy. Oh, but since he's, like, not my mommy, then he's not _māmā_. That would mean that he's... my brother? Yes, of course! I guess that means I should start calling him _gògō_ now. China- _gògō_... ugh, it sounds, like, super weird!"

Before England could correct Hong Kong's notions, Hong Kong had already grabbed his firecrackers. "Oh well," the little boy said, "I'll get used to it." He skittered off to prepare for his next prank on England.

England, utterly dumbfounded, could only watch his child colony go in silence. Bloody hell, what would China think of England once he saw Hong Kong again? England took a deep breath. He still had time. He could fix this.

There were still ninety-nine years left for him to fix this...

Oh, bugger it.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Also, read the story [Neighbor of China](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11985900), which takes place in the same universe.
> 
> Alternately, consider visiting [my website](https://sonnygoten.wordpress.com/about/).


End file.
